In Bangladesh, CCTV footage of a railway employee rescuing a young man who laid himself down on a railway track just as a train was approaching has gone viral. The rescuer demonstrated quick thinking and presence of mind, saving the young man from a certain death.

The 58-year-old employee, Billal Hossain Mazumder, works as a railway gateman near the Chashara station at the Dhaka-Narayanganj railway line. On the morning of November 21, 2016, Billal was waving a flag, trying to keep pedestrians away from the track as a train bound to Dhaka was passing by. Suddenly, a 26-year-old pedestrian, Mamun Hossain, lay down on the track in front of the moving train. Mazumder kept waiving his flag and in a snap decision, jumped in front of the train to pull Hossain away from the track. A split second delay could have been fatal for them both. It was later learnt that Hossain, who hailed from from Masdail village in Chashara, had decided to commit suicide after having a quarrel with his mother.

Railway accidents are common in Bangladesh, since about 40% of some 2,500 rail crossings are unmanned, and people do not follow the rules and signs. In the past six years, 152 people were killed in fatal railway accidents.

Billal is a casual gateman of Bangladesh Railway. His job is to wave a red flag when the train comes.

He is on the job since 1984 and started with a salary of BDT 2,400 (USD 94, according to 1984's exchange rate) per month. After 32 years, he got a salary of BDT 7,000 (USD 90, according to 2016's exchange rate) per month. How he can sustain his family with this meagre amount, I don't know.

Oh, and his post has not been made permanent in the past 32 years.

On Facebook, Tareq Alam wished that more people would be like Mazumder:

Nowadays it has become a norm that passersby do not come forward and help people in danger on the streets, they take pictures or selfies instead. In this sad reality, if we see good examples of helping others like this, which should be the norm, it makes a great impact on the society.

If a person is saved by miracle, the persons nearby — such as acquaintances, people from the law enforcement or rescue services — should embrace him, console him, try to keep everything coming with love. Because a person does not take the decision to kill himself if he was not in trouble.

But we have seen in this video footage that as soon he was saved, a policeman rushed to him and started to beat him. The man tried to kill himself and he wants to teach him a lesson by beating him?

The country's railway ministry publicly recognised Mazumder's act and rewarded him with some clothes and BDT 100,000 in cash (USD 1,275). The railway minister assured Billal that they will try to make his job permanent, or at least ensure that one of his children will be given with a job at the railway, according to their qualifications.

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